CEDAR CITY, Utah– The Southern Utah University women's basketball team will head up north for its final non-conference game of the season against the No. 12 ranked University of Utah Utes on Thursday, Dec.22, at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
Game Info
Southern Utah @ Utah
Date: December 22
Tip-off: 5 p.m. MT
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Huntsman Center
Live Stats Watch
Southern Utah (4-6)
SUU has been a force to be reckoned with on the boards. The Thunderbirds are the No.11 ranked rebounding team in the country, grabbing 46 rebounds per game, 9.5 more than its opponents.
The T-Birds shoot 41.0 percent from the field compared to 38.2 percent to their opposition.
Lizzy Williamson continues to put up stellar numbers this season, averaging 12.9 points,10.6 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. Cherita Daugherty (12.0) and Daylani Ballena (11.9) have also chipped in with double digits.
Megan Jensen has had a phenomenal last three-game stretch combining, for 39 points and 23 rebounds.
Utah Utes (11-0)
Utah has had an impressive start to the season securing dominant wins over Alabama (93-86), Oklahoma (124-78), BYU (76-59), and Colorado (85-58).
The Utes come into this matchup as the No. 2 scoring offense (93.2 PPG) and the top team in the nation in assists per game (21.1).
Alissa Pili leads Utah's scoring attack, averaging 20.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. They have a balanced attack with three other players scoring double digits each game; Gianna Kneepkens (14.2), Jenna Johnson (12.2), and Kennady Mcqueen (10.6).
Last Time Out
A career-high 30-point double-double from Alexa Lord and a dominant second half lifted the Southern Utah University women's basketball team over the La Sierra Eagles 77-44 on Saturday, Dec.17, in the America First Event center.
First Half
SUU got off to a bit of a slow start as the Eagles jumped out to a 14-5 lead into the first media timeout, but the Thunderbird attack would come alive as Johnston, Ballena, and Lord all knocked down threes to tie the game 18-18 with 1:50 left. Ballena closed out the quarter with a layup and another three-pointer to give the Thunderbirds the 23-20 at the end of the first.
Coming out of the quarter Lord began to catch fire, drilling a corner three and a short jumper in the first two possessions. The Thunderbirds started to lock down defensively, forcing seven second-quarter turnovers, sparking an 11-3 run, capped off by straight two buckets from Jensen, sending Southern Utah into the half up 37-23.
Second Half
The second half began with two back-to-back tough layups in the paint from Williamson and Jensen. After the Eagles hit two mid-range jumpers to cut the deficit to 43-30, Lord took over, scoring nine points to close out the quarter, putting the Thunderbirds up 59-36 heading into the fourth.
Lord continued to remain the hot hand in the final quarter, getting to the rim at will, and scoring eight of her 13 total fourth-quarter points in the paint, helping the Thunderbirds cruise to victory.
Thunderbird Quotes
Head coach Tracy Sanders on the matchup against Utah
" We have played a tough schedule this year. This will be our third Pac-12 opponent, and they are playing very well right now. They score a lot of points and execute well with all of their pieces, and it's an opportunity for us to take on the toughest team in the state. We need to go into this game with confidence and the understanding that every possession matters. We will be successful in this game if we pay attention to all the little details and go all out for every loose ball and box out."
Head coach Tracy Sanders on the win over La Sierra
" I was a little disappointed with how we started the game. We gave up a lot of points in the first quarter, but I thought we buckled down and played very well in the last three quarters. I'm proud of this group, and I think there's some great stuff we can take away from this game."
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